Scottish actor David Tennant (best known as a former Doctor Who) stars as mega-wealthy, psychopathic Cale Erendreich, who gets his jollies by kidnapping and torturing women. In a flashback sequence, viewers witness a childhood trauma with a wild horse which, supposedly, serves to explain his sadistic fetish for bridles and bondage. Struggling Irish photographer Sean Falco (Robert Sheehan) and his partner, Derek Sandoval (Carlito Olivero), work as valet parkers at a restaurant in Portland, OR. Or at least, that’s their cover: actually, they’re small-time burglars. When an affluent customer arrives for dinner, one keeps an eye on the patron while the other uses the car’s GPS to find the owner’s home and rob it of small-but-valuable items they can quickly re-sell, returning the car to the restaurant as its unsuspecting owner pays his check. Complications arise when Cale leaves his ostentatious Maserati in their hands. While exploring his minimalist mansion, Sean finds Katie (Kerry Condon), a chained captive who has been gagged and beaten. Sean calls the police and FBI with an anonymous tip, but they arrive and find nothing, since Cale—thanks to his high-tech surveillance equipment—is onto Sean. Part of his revenge involves downloading and texting a semi-nude photo of Sean’s girlfriend (Jacqueline Byers), which causes her to dump him. Working from a shallow screenplay that veers into torture porn territory, director Dean Devlin’s Bad Samaritan is a disappointing semi-coherent thriller. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Dean Devlin and writer Brandon Boyce, and deleted scenes (9 min.). Bottom line: a solid extras package for an unpleasant and confusing film.] (S. Granger)
Bad Samaritan
Sony, 110 min., R, DVD: $17.99, Blu-ray: $19.99, Aug. 14 Volume 33, Issue 5
Bad Samaritan
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